Moonlight mushroom
Omphalotus japonicus · 月夜菌
Rarely Seen小菇科⚠️ Poisonous
Reference sources list this as a poisonous mushroom.
The same species can be described differently across regions and stages of maturity, and countless look-alike species cannot be told apart by eye. Never use the information on this page to judge whether a real mushroom is safe to eat.
How to Tell
- Cap purplish brown to dark brown, shell-shaped, growing on dead beech
- Stem short; flesh at the stem base shows a purplish black patch when cut
- Gills glow pale green at night
ID notes are compiled by AI from public sources, not reviewed by a mycologist, for learning only — never a basis for foraging.
Basics
- Family
- 小菇科
- Hymenium
- Gills
- Grows On
- Wood
- How Big
- 10–25 cm (overall size)
- Encounter Rate
- Rarely Seen
- Habitat
- Fallen beech, in overlapping tiers
Easily Confused With
Oyster mushroomOyster mushroom shows no dark blotch when the stem base is cut; moonlight mushroom has a purple-black blotch in the flesh at the stem base.
Late oysterLate oyster has yellow gills and an olive-green cap; moonlight mushroom has white gills and a purple-brown cap.Fun Fact
The mushroom behind more poisoning cases in Japan than any other, because it grows on the same dead wood as oyster mushrooms; snap the stem base and you'll find a dark purple-black patch, and at night the gills glow green.